Board member celebrates a Grayslake Elementary District 46 graduate

This is the former Peacock Camp for Crippled Children purchased by Lake Villa Township and where Grayslake North High School student Liam Hunt did volunteer cleanup work that helped him earn the highest rank of Eagle Scout.Courtesy of Paul Berker

After settling a three-day teachers strike, Grayslake Elementary District 46 board member Karen Weinert said she thought it was time to have some positive news at a recent meeting of the elected officials.

Toward that end, Weinert introduced a District 46 graduate who recently attained his Eagle Scout badge. Board members and those in the audience gave a hand to Liam Hunt, now attending Grayslake North High School, as he stepped up to briefly explain how he received the scouting world's highest honor.

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Weinert noted how District 46 had a difficult stretch this year with the three-day teachers strike. She said Hunt's achievement serves as a nice reminder that children are at the core of the school system's business.

"We need to remember that we are a school district," Weinert said. "We're here for the kids. Our staff, what a great job they do for our children."

Few Boy Scouts achieve the Eagle rank. Boy Scouts of America officials say only about 4 percent of members attain the organization's highest honor and become part of a list the includes U.S. presidents, astronauts, authors and actors.

Hunt told District 46 board members that he earned his Eagle status by volunteering to help restore the former Peacock Camp for Crippled Children in Lake Villa Township. He said he helped to clear brush and other material in the idle woods, which are being revived because of the purchase of the 22-acre property by township government in 2012.

Located near Crooked Lake, Peacock Camp was established by granddaughters of Ernst Johann Lehmann, a well-to-do businessman who was influential in Lake Villa area history. The free camp opened on Crooked Lake in 1949, but was sold in 1999 and operated as a traditional summer camp for a few more years.

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